Apparatus for charging mortar into pipe bores



Patented Feb. zo, 194s APPARATUS Foa CHARGING MoR'rAR INT0 PIPE Bonus Hubert R. orane, Les Angeles, Calif.' Application May 29, 1943, serial Ne. 489,253

` 9 claims. (o1. 25-38) This invention is an' apparatus for charging plastic` cement into pipe bores.

Underground and otherwise installed conduits,

particularly iron water pipes or mains are sometimes re-conditioned by the application of a hy' draulic cement lining to their bore surface. In order to charge the pipe it is out open at specially cut ditches.

n is one ef the objects of this invention thaty quite long sections of the underground main pipes kmay be suitably charged With the necessary amount of mortar so as to greatly reduce the cost of ditching and cutting now required by use of commonly met with in pipes of the type concerned.`

The invention consists of certain advancements lin the art of internally cement plastering or 1inng ofthe bores of conduits, especially Water mains, as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and apparatus which can only charge relative quite short cut sections of the pipe, and so as to much reduce the time for complete lining of along pipe system.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical, substantial, reliable, effective,

easily set uprandy low operational cost-toolfo'rl pulling successive batches of mortar concurrently .into and distributing the desired amo-unt all along the pipe chamber. tAlso, an object is to provide a charging tool that may be readilyv extracted from the pipe-after the tool has completed the uniform distribution of the mortar entirely along the chamber of the pipe in readiness for the introduction, in proper time, of a mortar spreading,

dehydrating and trowelling apparatus.

Another object of the invention'is to provide a mortar charging tool incorporating a plurality of spade-function plates adapted to by-pass a suitable proportion of the mortar which the tool spades are, in the aggregate, designed to lay along v the bottom of the bore of the pipe being charged. and-additionally involving an elongate operating rod by which full control is had at all times of the set of spades both as to their spacing and speed, and as to their angular position around the rod and in the bore.

A desideratum is to provide a charging tool including a control rod of great-strength and of high flexibility not only to permit the tool to safely negotiate bends in the general line of the pipe but especially to enable. the assembled string of parts to be readily wormed into the cut open pipe Where ditchesl must be dug, which, it isdesirable, for obvious labor reasons and other costs, should bev kept down to the least practical cavity dimensions.

.Y Additionally, an object is to provide a simple,

`low-cost, selfecentering and self-clearing 'spade terior joint shoulders, and ledges and crack edges advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose constructions, combinations, and details of means and the manner of operation, and the method will be made manifest in the following description ofthe herewith illustrative embodiments; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to Withinthe scope, spirit-and principle of the invention asyit is more directly claimed in the addendum. Y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention involving a controlled drifting or floating disc type of spade assembly and flexible rod line, and Figure 2 is a front face velevation of one of the disc spades, in upright spreading or spading position. Figure 3 is a side elevation showingthe disc spade in the retracting positio after spreading the mortar. 'y

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a folding `wing form of spade; the dotted lines indicating the retracting position, and Figure 5 is a front face elevation; in spading position.

Figure' 6 is a perspective of square plate form of spade, and Figure 'lis a cross-section of a pipe showing the plate spade in Working position. Figure 8 is a side elevation of plate spade and rod assembly as in operation. Figure 9 is a partial edge view of the plate spade and its mount.. in detail.

Figure 10 is a side elevation of Va double-drag line form of scoop spade assembly; the retracting position being shown by dotted line gure.

Operators skilled in sewer and pipe cleaning and scraping operations are familiar with sectional, steel spring rod equipment in which sections of rods l2 are securely joined in rigid asso* ciation by couplings B (as shown 'for example in Crane Patent No. 2,110,202, of r1938). In the present disclosure such rods are made Vup in suitable length strings andhave in combination and carry and operate one or another of different forms of devices whose function is to ley-'pass a portion of a volume of cement mortarM in and along a given pipe P. y f

Fig.A 1 illustrates a ditch D which has been opened to provide accessv tothe pipe P at a sultlong stretches of the opened pipe can be satisfactorily charged with a needed layer of the 'mortar l along the bottom of the bore of the pipe.

ly elongate, center eye A'-3 onto the rod and its'upper edge is attached by a pivoted link 4 to the adjacent coupling B as by a bolt passed through a hole therefor; one of the couplings Bbeingshown f in detail in Fig. 9.

A suitable mortar hopper H is shown in the ditch and as each of the spade devices *2fisworked into the hopper a batch of mortar M is ,poured in ahead of the spade and as this is pulled forward intothe bore of the pipe the mortar willbe pushed .along and at .thesame time some .of .it will be oy-passed around the edge of the discal spade whichis .considerably smallerin diameter than '.thelboreo the pipe. Successive batches of mortarand successive. spades v2 .are introduced at given .intervals so Lthat .ultimately .the spades Awill 'have .conveyed .in enough .mortar to .have spreada vlayer of Aitfforlthe whole length .of .the opened ,pipe section. `Thestrongrod `I`2 asmade -up IWill keep the .several .spades `in their given position .with .theirlinks 4 uppermost. .The load ci' .themorltar will `,operate :to relatively push .the spades 'back to :a .nearly verticalposition on the rods.

When 4itlis considered .that the .mortar Vlayer has been laid evenly, according to precalcula- .tion,.f,or.the.llength of the `opened pipe then the .string lof rods :and .the attached :spades Amay .be retracted, toward .the ditch, by anysuitablepower edevice. 'In this retraction operation the .several .spades V2 will automatically .tilt Vto .such an oblique angle `on the rods'that their bottom .edges will .rise .and .then glide .rearwardly =on .and -along the laidbed of mortar .in .the pipe. .The spades .are .pulled .forwardly through. in k,usual operations.

Inlligs. 4 and 5-thereis shown .a similarly rod- .mounted spade device consisting of a pair of semi-discs 5 and 6 .havinga .diametrical hinge 'l .passing through the .ad-jacent 1rod 4coupling B. When 4the rod `string :of this form of .spade is pulled .forward the load -of :mortar spreads open fthe spade device .and the bottom of the lower half discf byp'asses -a portionpf lthe mortar at a .chordal lip -8 .of the spade. After -the ylayer of mortar has been laidfor the length of theopened pipe .the .rod string and 4its vspades 'can -be retracted-and thespades will substantially collapse to the .dotted line Vposition yshown in Fig. 4, `and ride out-on .thesuriace ofthe 'bedof .-mortar.

.Anotherl'iorm of rod carri-edfand rod actuated spadedeviceis-shown in Figs.-6., Tand 8, as consisting =of `a substantially square fplate spadev -I'Il centralized Aupon -and `bolted at :'II 4on the relative-coupling Brsoas tostand rigidly transversely across `the .rod iaxis. A feature of this square lspade .In i5 :that Sit self-centers the :rod in the bore-of .thefpipe i and A4presents ra :larger-ront face for pushing `ahead its 'batch of mortar, and, moreover it byepasses `a .denite :amount Aof the mortar past its straight edges when fully loaded. To centraline thislspadeits corners .have arcuate ment of a rod) but they also ease the plate spades past shoulders and crevices as may occur in an underground pipe system.

A variant form of spreading device is shown in Fig. 10 as including a bowl scoop I3 to the concave centerof which is fixed a shank I4 the fore end of which is hitched to a drag line I5. A suitable centering spider I6 is'xed on the shank I4 Well ahead of the scoop I3. A draw-back cable I1 lis connected to a rim portion of the 'scoop to tilt it down toithe vescape position shown in dotted lines.

In the normal use of the invention the implements .are pulled fully forwardly through the bore, but if obstructions or too great strains are set up then vthe tools may be retracted.

forwardly land .rearwardly .directed shoes Illa .to

approximately 'butslidably t the surface of the bore o'fgthe pipe P. These shoesnot onlyv'center t'h'espades '(onlyone of whichlis shownon afrag- What is claimed is: l. Apparatus for charging installed cylindrical bore conduits with a plastic later to be plastered asia vlining in the conduit bore, having in combination, .a .rod string, and a plurality of -plane spade devices rigidly mounted in Asuitably spaced relation concentrically on and along the line for pushing .the plastic along and laying a bed of it on the bottom of the bore; said spades being heldin fixed ,relationandhaving bottom opposite corners to ride on the circular face 'of the bore and presenting 'by-pass bottom edges spaced above .the conduitlbottom.

2. The apparatus of claim l; said rod string beingflexible, resilient and stiff and the spades being polygonal .shapedin tace View and having Vrigid shoes on .the.rim cornerslholdingthe.spades concentric in the conduit.

3. .Apparatus o'f the clas'sand for the purpose set 'forth and including a .mortar conveyor having apullng-in line provided with a series of spaced, flat, spade devicesxed perpendicularly to and concentricallyon andoperative by the line to ad- Vance an interposed .mortar charge; the spades being constructed and arranged to push the respective charge ahead'and at the same .time to 4by-.pass .a layer .on the bottom of .the bore of ythe vconduit the spades having `corners to'en- .gage the conduit bore .face Land vhaving rim edges .devices being ,rigidly .attached -to said couplings,

in desired spacing order.

'5. Means for charging a long, opened section of installed `conduit with mortar, comprising, in combination, a batch .feeding hopper applicable 'to `a cut end of the conduit, and a connected series of suitably spaced, rigidly related, at

spade devices each operative -togather a portion of the mortar .fed into the .hopper andto advance it in the bore of the conduit, and rigid shoes rigidly fixed on vthe rim edges `of the spades to center them; the vseries operative to dis tribute the mortar 'as a layer on and .along the bottom of thebore for later bore plastering operations 'the 'spadeshaving bottom edges 'of outline to form by-pass apertures for mortar in the con- 'du'it and 'which vedges are in constant, definite position in the connected series.

'6. Means forspading a supply 'of mortar along the bottom of the bore of an installed, 'and opened section of a conduit for a later lining operation; including a sti draft device pullable 'through the bore of the conduit, and a series of spaced, flat, non-circular mortar 'conveying and spading units each rigidly vfixed at its center to saiddevvice in a perpendicular position thereon and ners provided with elongate joint bridging shoes.

8. A mortarspading tool for operation in and along the bore of an installed conduit, consisting of 'a substantially rectangular plate having a major diameter about equal to the bore diameter and operatively dragging on the conduit whose side edges dene clearances for by-pass of mortar as the plate is drawn, in a transverse position, along the borevwhile pushing a supply of the mortar and drag means rigidly connected to and arranged centrally in the plate for holding one said clearance bottommost.

9. A mortar spading tool for operation in and along the bore of a conduit, consisting of a spade unit including a plate-like part having a lipforming edge at which a marginal by-pass opening is'formed by the unit in place in the bore and the plate diametrically tting and movable along a 'given bore.

HUBERT R. CRANE. 

